Bernie and Billi Marcus are pictured with all their granddaughters.
It has been a very long three weeks since my father has passed. The leaves all fell, Trump was elected, Thanksgiving is around the corner, the gift guide reminds me that Chanukah is not far away, and my close friends reach out to me daily, but I seem to have missed the importance and impact of all these things. My mother is still numb, and I am quite quiet and pensive. Only time will heal, and then only partially.
I want to thank my friends for being generous with their time, support, offerings and most of all, friendship. I want to thank the many people, almost one thousand, who have reached out to me with their condolences, prayers and words of encouragement. I want to thank Kaylene and everyone at the Atlanta Jewish Times for the amazing tribute to my father, Bernie Marcus, in the last issue. And from my mom, my brother, our entire family, and myself, thank you to those who chose to share words of praise, thanks, condolences and support in that edition. Your words demonstrate just how much impact my father has had in Georgia and throughout the United States, the Jewish community in Atlanta and Boca, and the Jewish community worldwide including the State of Israel.
Our community has lost a giant of a man. Bernie employed hundreds of thousands of people, he touched millions of lives with his philanthropy; and yet he came home every night to become my father and my mother's husband for 51 years. Remarkable. These are shoes that I cannot walk in. He casts a shadow that I can never create. He leaves a legacy that will not be replicated by me (or anyone else) in this generation. I will, however, continue to learn from him, use his actions to guide me and encourage me to become better in every aspect of my life, and step up to support and teach my family to the best of my ability.
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I am not looking forward to spending my first Thanksgiving without my dad. I am looking forward to spending the holiday with my family to reflect on all that he has taught us, be thankful for all that he has given us, and pay tribute to the amazing opportunity we have had to be part of his life as husband, father, and grandfather.
My father worked very hard his entire life. In addition, he worked insanely long hours every single day. I hope now he can rest in peace. I hope now he can watch over his family with pride. I know his memory will be a blessing to all whom he has touched; and Dad, may G-d comfort you among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.